How to prepare for your Mohs procedure

A little preparation makes a Mohs day far less stressful and supports good healing, and most of it is simple and practical.

Beforehand, follow your surgeon's guidance on medications, some blood thinners are continued for safety reasons while others may be adjusted, so never stop a prescribed medication without checking. Tell the team about all medications and supplements, since some increase bleeding. Plan for a long appointment with significant waiting time: eat beforehand, bring snacks, water, a book or device, and warm layers, and arrange for someone to drive you home if a larger reconstruction is anticipated. Wear comfortable clothing that does not need to be pulled over the head if the surgery is on the face.

On the day, expect the rhythm of remove-wait-check, possibly repeated, before reconstruction once margins are clear. Afterward, you will receive specific wound-care instructions, typically keeping the wound moist with petrolatum and following stitch-care guidance, that meaningfully affect how the scar heals, so following them closely is worthwhile. Limiting strenuous activity briefly protects the repair. None of this is complicated, but a patient who arrives prepared for a long, waiting-heavy but comfortable day, and who follows the aftercare, tends to have both a smoother experience and a better-healing result.

Related reading: The microscopic mapping that makes Mohs precise.